Turntable type side loading hearse



Aug. 13, 1935. w. T. .JAco s TURNTABLE TYPE SIDE LOADING HEARSE Filed Jan. 19, 1931 Patented Aug. 13, 1935 l UNITED STATES .v

TURNTABLE TYPE SIDE LOADING HEARSE .I l Walter T. Jacobs, Freepcrt, 111., assignor, by mesne 1- assignments, to Big Rock Ranch Company, Los

ATENT oFFrcEi" v Angeles, Galih, a corporation of California Application January 19, 1931, Serial No. 509,751 3 7 Claims. (01. see-16) This invention relates to vehicles such as hearses of the side loading type havinga load-receiving platformradapted to be swung from a po-' sition within the body of a vehicle to a position Referring to the drawing which is for illustrative purposes only,

Fig.1 is a diagrammatic, partly sectioned plan view showing my invention applied to the M -tudinally extending screw 31 having'means at its of lateral extension tofacilitate the loading or body of a hearse.

unloading of the load receiving platform. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary partly sectioned eleva It is an object of the invention to provide a r tiOnal View corresponding to Fig. 1, the platform vehicle of the universal side loading type having of the invention being shown in section substan- "an opening on each side thereof and being tially as indicatedby the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. n equipped with'zmeans whereby the load receiv- Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section '10 Zing platform may be projected either to the on a, plane represented by the line 3--3 of Fig. 2, right or left side of the vehicle as the conditions showing h l n i udinal a k m mb r and h of loading and unloading may require. wheels of the pivotmember engaging the track 91131 the illustration of the invention the dismember. r 1-5 closure will be confined to hearses; it being un- In ig. 1 I S ow a} hearse y having a fl derstoodthat it may have equally valuable utili- I2 and aside wall structure l3, in which a rear ty when used with vehicles intended for other openin I 4 a d r ht e d ft s deop ss l5 a purposes. V I6 are formed. .41 load receiving'platform ll of ;An object of the'invention is to provideapivot a Size to receive and support a burial casket is member and' means for applying power to the adapted to be heldin the position shown in full 20 pivot member so that it will move along a prede- 7 lines I8 during t transportation of the casket termiiied longitudinal path within the body of mm po 170 point and be Projected a a y the vehicle, and to employ this pivot member as through either Of the d p n 15 as a means for turnably supporting a platform indicatedby the dotted line l9'when it is desiredto member, together with means for causing the load thereon or remove therefrom the casket. 25 platform member to move into a laterally ex- Supporting the rearward end 20 of the platform tendingposition as the pivot member is moved I7 is a p t 2! Which includes a Vertical Pivot from auposition at one end of its path of movep 22 and 3 Wheeled platform pp t 23 having vment to the th d th upper pairs of Wheels 24 and 25 and a lower pair 7 3o "A further object or the invention is to proo Wheels a of which 's se a track :yi'de' a laterally swingable platform and pivot member Consisting, as ShOWIl'iIi Figs- 2 a :supporting means therefor which will permit the of pp r flanges O a S 28 w c a e Set ntO platform to' be swung freely either to the right the floor ll of the vehicle- The 'support :er left .of'the vehicle, wh reupon such platform 23 includes a central body 29 which s vertically 5mm elprojst through a, rightmahd "opeffing Or drilled to receive the pivot pin 22 andat'its rear- 5 left haridopenin provided in the side Walls of Ward and carries axle Pins 39 and disposed u above and below the plane of the flanges 21, the *Afur'ther object of the invention is to: provide oute? ends of the axle members 3a and r e 1 porting the upper and lower pairs of wheels 24 WW gu1 de means Wmch m be e and 25 in such positions that the upper wheels 4 'l w e qe to f the progectlon of h 24 will engage the upper surfaces of the flanges 21 la o he m or to the left of'the and the'lower wheels 26 will engage the under vehicle when the pivot is moved forwardly withr face f e flanges 21 r g h e es a result of the application of The platform support 23 also includes a circular .45 ,PQwer Ph n track 32 whichis engaged byturntable rollers 33 It is an ob 'ect of .the invention to provide a supported on the under face f the table n by hearse i h 'b w from? multiplicity means of brackets 34. The pair of rollers! or 3 PQ Q In the preferred embodiment of wheels 25 is situated forwardly with respect to the ;the. invention right and left side openings are dt pin 22 i a position t receive th down 5 0 provided' to. enable. the" loading "of the hearse thru t f the weight of the platform l1 and of so r either'rside'ef vehieleiend an Opening such loads as may be carried'thereon. At the is provided in the back of the vehicle, through forwardend 3f th platform support 23 a downwhich a casket maybe loaded or unloaded. wardly extending web 35 supports an internally Further objects and advantages will appear threaded sleeve 35 which is engaged by a longi- V in the iens'uinglspecification. 1

roller A5 or 46.

forward end t8 whereby the screw may be rotated and the pivot 2i caused to move along the path defined by the track provided by the member 21.

In the embodiment of the invention shown, the

.means for applying power to move the pivot 2! includes a worm gear 39 secured to the forward end 38 of the screw 3! and a worm 58 secured upon and rotated by a laterally extending shaft ii having the rightward and leftward ends 42 and 43 thereof prepared for engagement by a wrench or crank 66 which may be employed manually to impart the necessary power for moving the pivot 24 either forwardly or rearwardly along its defined path of movement.

Means for guiding the platform ll into proper position of lateral projection as the pivot 2! is moved forwardly are shown in the form of right and left rollers and 46 which respectively en- .gage right and left side grooves 4'11 and it formed on the lower face and near the sides of the platform if. Each of the guide grooves ll and 38 provides a guide channel 39 extending parallel to a side of the platform if and having a lateral y directed entrance mouth or opening 56 through which a cooperating guide roller 55 or 56 may enter or leave its respective guide. groove Si' or 38. The rollers 35 and 456 may be supported by vertical pins which project upwardly from the floor 52 of the body 5 l, as indicated at 5A in Fig. 2.

When it is desired to project the platform il through either the right or left side opening l5 or lfia lock pin 52 supported by a bracket 53 at the forward end of the platform I! is first raised from engagement with a recess 5 1 formed in the floor l2, as shown in Fig. 2, which operation renders the platform ll freely swingable on the pivot 25, and the platform if is then swung either to the right or "to the left of the pivot 2! until the mouth 5E3 of one of the-guide grooves 417 or 48 engages a guide Assuming that it is desired to project the platform through the side opening IS, the lock pin 52 is released and the platform if is then moved so as to cause the mouth 50 of the guide groove ll to move in the direction of the arrow 55 toward an engagement with the guide roller 45.

With the mouth 59 and the guide roller 45 so engaged, the handle 44 may be applied to the end 42 of the lateral bar or shaft 4!, and the screw 37 thereby rotated to cause the pivot 25 to move forwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow 56 toward and into the position indicated bythe dotted line 5'3. Until the pivot Zl is moved forwardly in the direction of the arrow 55 the plat- 7 form if is free to swing about the pivot 2i through a substantial arc. During the forward movement of the pivot 22! the engagement of the guide groove ll with the roller 45 will cause the forward end 58 of the platform to move toward and into the laterally extending position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the guide groove moving outwardly on the roller 45 during the swinging movement of the paltform ll, with the result that when the the lock pin 52 is first released from engagement with therecess 54 in the floor i2, and the platform llis then swung either to the right or to the left of the pivot 2i, but not far enough to cause the mouth 5@ of one of the guide grooves 41 or 48 to engage one of the guide rollers 35 or 46. During the forward movement of the pivot 2! the guide groove 41 or 48 thus will not engage the guide roller 45 or iii, and the platform ll will be free to rotate on the pivot during the longitudinal movement of the pivot and after the movement has ceased to a plurality of positions in which the platform projects through either of the openings E5 or 46.

During the swinging of the platform I! on the pivot 2! the turntable rollers 33 roll in the required direction on the circular track 32, supporting the platform at all times regardless of whether the platform is in movement or at rest. It is evident that retraction of the table ll from the extended position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1 to the enclosed position indicated by full lines in Fig. l is to be accomplished by reverse rotation of the screw El through proper application of the crank 44.

When the pivot 2| has moved to the rear end of its travel, the guide roller 45 will be coincident with the mouth 50 of the guide groove 41. The platform ll may then be swung into longitudinally centralized position and the latch pin 52 brought into engagement with the latch opening 5 the side doors of the vehicle then being closed and the vehicle then being operated by an attendant occupying a drivers seat 66 situated within the vehicle body l2 forward of the platform f l, as indicated in Fig. 1.

I have shown herein a simple and practical form of my invention, but it is recognized that certain parts or elements thereof are representative of other parts, elements, or mechanisms which may be employed in substantially the same manner to accomplish substantially the same results; therefore, it is not intended that the invention shall be limited to the details disclosed herein but shall have the scope of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A hearse of the character described having a body with a doorway in the side thereof and a platform disposable longitudinally in said body and extensible through said doorway, characterized by: a platform support supported on a track carried by said body; and means to prevent tilting of said platform support, said platform being pivoted to and wholly supported by said platform support.

2. A hearse of the character described having a body with a doorway in the side thereof and a platform disposable longitudinally in said body and extensible through said doorway, characterized by: tracks carried by said body; a platform support adapted to wholly support said platform carried by wheels running on said tracks and arranged to prevent tilting of said support; and a pivot between said platform support and said platform.

3. A hearse of the character described having a body with a doorway in the side thereof and a platform disposable longitudinally in said body and extensible through said doorway, characterized by: tracks carried by said body; a platform support carried by wheels running on said tracks and arranged to prevent tilting of said support; a circular track carried by said platform support in such a position as to receive a portion of the weight of said platform; and a pivot between said platform support and said platform.

l. A hearse of the character described having a body with a doorway in the side thereof and a platform disposable longitudinally in said body and extensible through said doorway, characterizedby: tracks carried by said body; a platform support carried by wheels running on said tracks and arranged to prevent tilting of said support; a circular track carried by said platform support in such a position as to receive a portion of the weight of said platform; and a pivotbetween said platform support and said platform, said,

portion thereof projects through the doorway about said pivot on said supporting track; means for moving said platform support longitudinally in said body; and means for arresting the free rotation of said platform about saidpivot and adapted to guide said platform through saiddoorway.

6. In a hearse, the combination of: a body hav ing a doorway in the side thereof; a trackoarried by said body; a platform support comprising wheels adapted to run on said track and having a semi-circular supporting track; a pivot associated with said platform support; aplatform' adapted to fre'elyrotate through a substantial are about saidpivot on said supporting track, said platform having a groove therein open at tudinally in said body; a guide member associated with said body in such away that'it can enter the open end of said groove and during the 1ongitudinal movement of said platform in said body,

.one end; means for moving said platform longiarrest the free rotation of said platform about i said pivot, and guide said platform through said doorway. a

7. A hearse of the character described having a body with a doorway in the side thereof and a. platform disposable longitudinally in said body and extendable through said doorway, said platform beingcharacterized by: a pivot movable longitudinally of said body; and wallsformmg a groove having an opening in oneend thereof,

said body having a guide member near the doorway adapted to enter said groove through said opening and thereafter to guide said platform, said platform being freely rotatable about said pivot to bring the free end into the doorway and said guide member into said groove. a

WALTER T. JACOBS. 

